Detonating composition.



lid 740,355.

UNITE STATES HANS w;- nsnuex, or

Ist'entcd September 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, ASSIGXOR TD JOSEF DETONATING COMPOSlTlON.

SPECIFICATION forming port. 01 Letters Pu '5 pplicntiou filed lief-ember Q1, 1903'.

tent No. 740,355, dated September- 29, 1908.

" u-1 No 132314- 'Xo syccimesnl To all wit-am if nmy (OIHRZI'ILf Be it known that I, thus vox DAHMEX, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residingnt Vienna, in the Empire 01 Aust rin- 5 Hungary, have invented newund useful improvements in Detonatiug Compositions, of which the following is a specification.

For many years military authorities have been'scehiug :tdctonntiug composition which to without the use of fulminetes, pirrstes, or chlorutes, or n nitro compound will tire -e.\' plosives in u theroughly-sntisfuctory manner, for at present the poweri'ul explosives which are employed for filling shells render the use of the extremely-dnngerous prepurutions of fulminic acid absolutely necessary as detonating agents.

The purpose of my invention is to overcome all the drawbacks at present experienced in the manufacture of explosives and to produce a. detonnting composition absolutely inscnsible to concussion, percussion, and frictlOD. My new composition is more portionlurly adapted for artillery purposes.

In the manufacture of improved detonnting compositions a. mixture of potassium corbonate, sulfur, and potassium nitrate has been tried. The chemical change which here takes place is that the sulfur unites with the potassium carbonate to form potassium sulfite,

which at a high temperature is suddenly oxdized by the potassium nitrate, nitrogen being liberated.

Potassium carbonate is of a highly-hygroscopic nature, so that a preparation of the above kind, apart from its deficient force, would beunsuitahle' for storing for any length of time. I therefore replace the carbonate by bicarbonate of potash, with the addition of 0 aluminium.

By the admixture of aluminium the chemical decomposition of the compound men ,tioned is rendered much more energetic, the temperature being greatly increased.

In order to enable the above .mention ed explosives to be detonated in practice with i the some success as with preparations of fulminat'e of mercury, my detonating composition must be employed in a particular manner. Its use in free space, it appears, is imnot absolutely necessary.

' practicable; but when confined in an airtight chamber it can be caused to exert a strong dot-ousting effect. For this purpose the composition mustbe heated by a slowburning ignition agent-such as ordinary black gunpowder or a mixture resembling such, Buums fusion'powder, (as described in Gmhum-Ottos Ausfuhrlichcs Lehrbuc'h (1hr Chcmie, 5th edition, Vol. II, Ausfuhw Iichcs Lrftrbuch (Ier Ann/'ganischen Chcmz'c, You Dr. A. Michnelis, Section III, page 147, lines 21-24) with or without the addition of al u miniu in, or by Goldschmidts preparations, (such nsztro described in the Charlie's-cites Cenlluibluf 1595, ii 34,1899, II 459, Berlin.) In this nmnner the temperature of the composition is raised to that requisite or its thorough detonation.

For the purpose in view I take a detonating composition consisting, for instance, of nitrate of potash, 45.5 parts; bicarbonate of potash, thirty parts; sulfur, sixteen parts; aluminium,8.5 parts. This I submit to pressure till the specific gravity is from one to two. Ncxtl grnnulute itin well-known manner and then press from it plates or waters some two millimeters thick. These are inserted as a. bottom lnyer into the projectile-f use in upproprinte manner, depending upon the diameter of the latter. -Upon such a plate I pre fer to place a. thin layer. of tinfoil or other suitable, medium, though such partition is Hcreupon I fill up the remaining space in the fuse with gunpowder or another of the heating .agents of the kind already referred to, or instead of a plate, as stated above, I may employ the composition merely in granulated state, which in the case of pressed charges may also be filled into the fuse-hole or the projectile charge for the purpose of promoting more complete chemical decomposition, or the detonating composition may be employed in the form of powder or in pulverized or granulated form, mixed or pressed with the projectile charge,

in which case nntur'ally'a. heating agent, as above specified, must also be employed.

The admixture of about twelve per cent. of my detonating composition is sufiicient to eifcct complete chemical decomposition of too the ammonium preparations, which are well known to be extremely difficult tofire. This simple manner of ignition can be readily adapted to any projectile, while insuring the highest degree of safety.

The d'etoneting composition may be componnded in air-ions ways, depending upon the kind of explosive employed. For example, the percentage of aluminium may be increased or diminished, accordingly as to whether a lower or higher temperature is rodeto'neiing composition Ihave attained-what military authorities have long sought-vim, a safe priming composition for shells and projcctiles which on the addition of a small quantity of powder or other slow-burning composition possesses the same detonnting eiIects as the dangerous f'uiminates, chlorates, or picrates hitherto in use.

Having-thus described my invention, what Ielsim as new, and desire toseonre by Letters Patent, is-

1. A detonnting composition consisting of potassium nit-rate, bicarbonate of potash, sub for and aluminium, substantially as de scribed;

9. A detonating composition consisting of potexiinm nitrate, hioerb'onnt'e-of potash, sulfur and aluminium, to which is added a suitable slow-bnrning heating agent, snbstan tinlly as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention Ihave signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HANS-VON DAIIMEN.

Witnesses:

HENRY HASPER,

Wonnnsmn HAUPT. 

